The demand for "frozen drinks" has soared. These drinks, delicious concoctions having exotic names conjuring images of tropical islands, have become the refreshment of choice for a large portion of the adult population. Preparing these drinks, however, has never been an easy task. Typically, several ingredients including liquor must be added in a time consuming process to a finely-divided ice/water mixture having a thickness and almost creamy texture prior to serving. In the busy atmosphere of a bar, club, or restaurant setting, where profit is dictated largely by controlling portion size, waste connected with the preparation of such drinks has never been easy to control.
Typically, a frozen drink is prepared by placing the drink ingredients, including ice, into a conventional blender. The blender is then operated to reduce the ice to a pulverized state, and the resulting mixture then transferred to a glass for consumption by a patron. Because of the large span of time required in measuring and mixing the ingredients, several portions of a given drink are usually prepared in a blender simultaneously. If these drinks remain unsold at the time when the ice within the mixture has melted into a liquid then the drinks must be discarded.
Aside from the loss of product associated with conventional blending methods, an additional problem is frequently encountered with mixed drinks; the amount of time consumed while the blender grinds the ice limits the number of customers that a bartender can serve. Most bartenders cannot receive customer orders when their attention is focused upon a noisy blender. The reduced sales caused by conventional blending techniques can have a significant long-term economic impact upon the proprietor of an establishment serving mixed drinks.
In the past, machines for preparing frozen drinks have been developed. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,030, issued Jul. 21, 1987 to John M. Herbert discloses an apparatus in which an ice-shaving machine is combined with a blender in a single unit. The ice shaver and blender are electrically wired together, and programmable timing means are provided. However, the apparatus provides no means for dispensing liquid mixes which must be manually added with any liquor to the blender. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,281, issued Mar. 31, 1987 to Richard F. Van Der Veer discloses a drink making method and apparatus for making beverages having dispensed ice-slush and a blend of additional flavorings. The system includes a blender for mixing the constituents, and the device dispenses ice into the blender while liquor and fruit flavorings are manually placed therein. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,156,103, issued Nov. 10, 1964 to Anthony J. Ross teaches an apparatus for dispensing a beverage into a cup and a measured charge of ice into the cup for cooling the same. The apparatus includes an ice producing and storing device, and a plurality of dispensers for more than one type of drink, with the dispensers electrically operative to dispense a premeasured charge of liquid.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,593, issued Feb. 19, 1991 to Ralph Fabiano and Fortunato Colacino discloses a device for mixing and then dispensing hot liquids in a premeasured amount.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.